Brain Injury May Boost Risk of Alzheimer’s Earlier In Life

Some research suggests that experiencing brain injuries such as concussions can lead to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s. A study was conducted which looked at over 2100 cases in which a head injury resulted in a loss of consciousness for over 5 minutes. These cases seem to be presenting dementia and its symptoms up to 2 and a half years earlier than those who did not experience this.

Although the specifics of the cause is not known yet, these findings are again fueling more concern over contact sports in which head injuries commonly occur. Another study found that these brain injuries can cause Alzheimer’s and dementia to appear up to a staggering 9 years earlier as people age.

On the contrary, however, there have also been studies that have concluded that brain and head injuries have nothing to do with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s or dementia. There is great debate because not much is known at this point in time. It is discussed that we must wait until the students experiencing these head traumas now in life age to the point where they are 60 to 70 years old to truly understand the link.”